Outside Counsel

I was really anxious to have the companion CD to "The Rose and the Briar", so I ordered it that night. Then I finished the book. Then I went back to the Sony Music Store site to see what was up. It reported that my order was "Pending". I used their "Contact us" email form to find out what "Pending" meant. I heard nothing from them, so two days later I repeated this process. The following exchange then occured:

wcalt@xxxxxxxx
01/10/2005 03:33
>To: Smfcustomer>Services/CR/Music-US/SONY@Sony_Music
"Pending"? What does that mean, exactly? I'd like my cd, please. Can you give me some idea of when to expect it?


Smfcustomer_services@sonymusic.com
1/11/2005
>To: wca@xxxxxxx>
>Your order shipped yesterday by Standard mail. You should receive it >shortly.
Thanks

wcalt@xxxxxxx
01/11/2005 02:04
To: SmfcustomerServices/CR/Music-US/SONY@Sony_Musi
That doesn't really answer my question. What was the hold up?

Smfcustomer_services@sonymusic.com
1/11/2005
>To: wca@xxxxxxx>
The hold up was that you placed your order on New Year's Eve. We were closed so that we had the opportunity to observe the holiday. Our office reopened on 1-4-05. Orders only process on business days. Holidays are not business days. That is what the hold up was.
Thanks

wcalt@xxxxxxx
01/11/2005 02:04
To: SmfcustomerServices/CR/Music-US/SONY@Sony_Musi
That's a perfectly reasonable explanation, flawed only by the fact that it took me four emails to you all to get an answer. A pretty pokey performance, I think you'll agree. You make it sound like the Sony music store is a guy in a squeaky swivel chair in a big warehouse with an old Gateway on his desk and a dial-up modem-- but I'll bet you have more going on than that.
The irony here is that I wanted the CD because I'd bought the companion book. Had I walked three blocks from the meatspace bookstore, I could probably have either purchased or ordered the CD, and had it last week. So much for the efficiencies of on-line ordering. Not only would I have had my CD, but I probably would have paid less, and I certainly wouldn't have had to suffer a snarky email about holidays and business days. C'mon Sony Music Store-- what kind of customer experience are you giving out here?

Smfcustomer_services@sonymusic.com
1/11/2005
>To: wca@xxxxxxx>
Sir,
I apologize for the delay in getting your order to your. With all due respect, I am not a guy sitting in a swivel chair, but a girl. And if there was a way that I could have packed and shipped your order myself, I would have done that. Once again, I am really sorry that you had to wait.
Sincerely,
Angela
SMS Customer Service

wcalt@xxxxxxx
01/11/2005 02:04
To: SmfcustomerServices/CR/Music-US/SONY@Sony_Musi
Well, now I feel rude. I didn't mean to call you a guy. Sorry.

Smfcustomer_services@sonymusic.com
1/11/2005
>To: wca@xxxxxxx>
That's okay! Hope you have a good day
Angela

The CD arrived yesterday. Angela, if you are reading this, I recomend it-- highlights include Snakefarm's "Little Maggie" (I want more Snakefarm I think); John Mellencamp's "Wreck Of The Old 97" (no, seriously); and Dolly Parton's "Down From Dover", a song that I'm sure I've heard before, and forgotten. Wow, she is good. "Down From Dover is pure hoke, but it's got a killer hook, and she sings it completly straight, and it really works.